HUGE Idle surging, and CEL light

[Drif]

H'okay so I'm still new to the DSM world, and my 95 TSi AWD, is having Idle issues ever since I bought it. I've broke 5 bones in my foot over a months ago so I've been taking this time to work out the quirks with the car and install a few new goodies along the way. Well I'm getting it prepped to swap out the exhaust and put on an aftermarket exhaust, but I want to get these last two problems lined out first. The other issue is it smells like its running rich, Im new to turbo'd vehicles and from asking around a bit, I'm told they are supposed to run a lil on the rich side, but to me it smells too rich...
My theory is the Idle Control Valve is bad thats whats explaining the idle surging, it starts and goes to 1k holds there for a bit then, drops to 500 then raises upto 2200 then 1400 then 600 then back up to 2k. Basically fluxing from 500 to 2200.
So is the IAC located as apart of the Throttle Body OR Seperate? So I know whether to just swap TB or what not.
Second Question in prepping the exhaust I un-wired the O2 Sensor, well i feel i wired it back up incorrectly, does anyone have a pic of a correctly wired up O2 for me to use as reference?


Mods: None for performance.
Thanks in advance.

 

[LiquidX]

The IAC is able to be unbolted from the TB and it's most likely the brown 6 pin sensor unless you have the newer black plastic one.

As for the o2 sensor, why did you cut it instead of either unscrew it or unplug it?

If you had your CEL prior to cutting the o2 sensor you should get that checked out to determine what is going on with your car. Advanced Auto and Autozone will check the CEL for free.

 

[Drif]

i didnt cut it, i unplugged it but the way the plug is designed for this one is unlike any i have seen it "screws" the 4 wires together but seperatly i will snap a pic in the daylight tomorrow. yeah i would drive but as stated broke foot and MTX dont mix.....

 

[LiquidX]

A picture would be great as I have no idea what you are talking about. They are just 1 way plugs. Maybe someone hacked it before you? What's MTX besides the audio company?

 

[Drif]

Sorry for the delay was at the teams moto event all weekend didnt get around to the car.

MTX = Manual Transmission... use to be apart of another car forum thats how they referred to a manual/stick. I'll get a pic today when I on lunch and upload it. my theory is it was hacked before I got it, and i screwed it up.

 

[KKneipper]

Get a friend of yours to drive the car to AutoZone to have the code pulled. If they try saying that it doesn't have OBD2, just tell them it's a 97... they won't know the difference.

 

[Drif]

o2plug picture

Sorry for the clarifty, havent been able to locate camera, so i used cell.

 

[GSXTasy005]

ok, that looks alot like a universal O2 plug. they are cheaper than an OEM plug, but alot less accurate. that could be your problem right there. my suggestion would be to switch to a wideband O2 instead, since you'll have to do some rewiring to get a factory O2 back in there anyway.

common culprits of idle surge:

* Bad FIAV - do some looking around on how to diagnose this.

* dirty throttle body - VFAQ Site - Visual Frequently Answered Questions has an awesome article on cleaning these

* O2 sensor - already mentioned that...

* Vacuum leak - do some boost leak tests, and check all your vacuum hoses

* temperamental TPS - Again, VFAQ has a few awesome write-ups on diagnosing/adjusting this.

for more idle surge-related troubleshooting see this refernece guide:
Terry's Talon Troubleshooting Tips #3 - Fast Idle (aka. Idle Surge)

 

[KKneipper]

FIRST THING TO DO.... GET THE CEL DIAGNOSED.

That will give you an idea of the best place to start. Your O2 plug may not even be malfunctioning. Trust me when I say that a CEL is a good thing (if your car is acting up)... You're new to DSM's, and you will learn very quickly that sometimes they don't come on, so when one does, take it down and get the code pulled.

 

[Drif]

Alright, thanks for the help and advice. I will get the car to Autozone this week sometime, and will do shakedowns on the other areas mentions. I will get back when the problem is resolved, again thanks for the advice.